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MANAGING SMALL-BUSINESS RECRUITING & TALENT: WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

One of the primary functions of HR is to recruit, manage, and retain top talent. It’s also one of the most challenging functions that HR pros face on a daily basis.

As the world of HR evolves, understanding what employees need and want from your company can make a big difference in your recruiting efforts as well as reducing turnover rates. Thankfully, some of the biggest names in HR have a lot to say about these topics. As you think about your recruiting and management strategies going forward, consider what these experts have to say on the matter.

Stacy Zapar on Using Social Media for Recruiting

Social media has become a major aspect of many recruitment strategies. However, employer branding consultant Stacy Zapar notes that social media is not simply a tool for sending out job listings. She says that social media should be used to spark conversation and build a community around your brand. Content should be focused on sharing your company culture and the experience of working with you, and engaging potential candidates — not on getting as many resumes as possible.

Kathryn Minshew on Hiring During Growth Periods

Kathryn Minshew is the CEO of The Muse, a career advice website. The company, which is devoted to helping people find jobs they love, grew 4X in just one year, while still maintaining a very defined brand and company culture. Minshew acknowledges that such rapid growth could potentially alter the company culture or lead to poor hires, but based on her experience with The Muse, she has some solid guidance for companies that are hiring during growth periods. Most important, she says, is focusing on your company’s core values during the interview process, and hiring based on candidate’s alignment with those values in addition to their ability to match performance standards. Minshew also notes the importance of a great candidate experience, making interviewees feel welcome and giving them to opportunity to ask questions, while still adhering to a structured interview process that evaluated skills sets and culture fit.

Robin Schooling on Onboarding

Twenty-year HR veteran Robin Schooling, SPHR, believes that employee onboarding is vital to getting employees off to a great start and establishing the culture of an organization. Unfortunately, she argues, most companies treat onboarding as an event — where employees fill out paperwork and get the “lay of the land — rather than an ongoing process in which individuals from a number of different departments to provide a comprehensive overview of the company. In short, Schooling says, “ensuring new hires successfully adjust requires the input of more than just the HR staff. It does, indeed, take a village.” HR is undoubtedly important in terms of managing the compliance aspects of onboarding, but to really set employees up for success, the organization’s leaders, managers, and co-workers should also be involved in the process to provide a clear view of life at the company and help the newbies hit the ground running.

Suzanne Lucas on Reducing Staff Turnover

Suzanne Lucas is a 10-year veteran of corporate human resources, and better known as “Evil HR Lady” for her unflinchingly honest answers to the toughest HR questions. And when it comes to employee retention, she knows what works. Lucas says that the “best way to handle turnover is to reduce it,” and recommends that to do that, businesses need to not only hire the right people, but also train them well and give them a reason to stay. This including providing thorough ongoing training, including cross-training, to give your employees the confidence they need to do their jobs well, as confident employees are more likely to stay with a company. However, treating employees well is also important, Lucas notes. Paying them a fair wage, providing a competitive benefits package, and above all, treating employees will respect will go a long way to ensuring a happy and productive staff.

Marcus Buckingham on Talent Activation

Researcher and thought-leader Marcus Buckingham is well-known for his commitment to helping individuals cultivate their strengths for better performance. Buckingham believes that leaders should be focused on activating their employees’ talent: That is, turning their potential into performance. However, many of the current methods of employee motivation and engagement, most specifically feedback, are not ideal for improving employee performance. As he says, “Feedback is not the solution — team members don’t want feedback; they want attention. Goal alignment is also not the answer — aligning the employee’s goals with the company’s goals is important, but it’s not going to help people perform better week to week.” Instead, Buckingham recommends taking a coaching perspective, and helping employees work to their strengths rather than simply correcting errors.

For more insight and guidance into small-business HR solutions, be sure to check out National PEO and how they can help you manage employees efficiently, leaving you more time to grow your business.